What Makes a Monster
by Targaryen Bannerman
Summary: Two outcasts, both shunned by society for the horrible deeds they've committed. Must come together to protect one another and the people that they care about from those who would hunt them down. While battling the monsters that lurk within their souls.
1. Prologue

Prologue

* * *

It was a cool spring night in Tokyo Harbor, the faint noises of the metropolis in the distance were muffled by the splashing of the waves against the rust covered hull of the cargo ship _George._ On the deck Daniel was finishing off the last of the whiskey he bought before leaving Los Angeles a week ago. The burning sensation of the liquor traveling down his throat gave Dan a small feeling of satisfaction. That of successfully getting out of the U.S. There was too much heat from law enforcement to stay in America, plus some distance between him and the emotional baggage back home was a pleasant thought as well. The wind swept through his blonde hair as his dark blue eyes surveyed the glow of the city.

It's been bit of a rock ride across the Pacific, due to the fact that the _George_ was an accident waiting to happen. Calling the _George_ a floating hunk of junk would be a grave understatement, under normal circumstances this ship should've been scraped for metal a decade ago. However the company that owned the cargo ship was a real miser that wanted squeeze every single penny out of the old vessel, even if that meant risking the lives of its workers. Though Dan would be lying if he said that he hated the experience. The crew had been quite easy to get along with, providing him a good deal of hospitality. Which included sharing their beer stash with Dan and telling a bunch of really raunchy jokes. All of which endeared him with the gang, which made it harder for him to leave them once they docked.

"Hey Dan mind if I had a swig of that?" Dan turned to see the ship's cook Hector walking towards him. The cook was a Hispanic man in his mid-twenties with jet black hair and hazel eyes. He quickly check to see how much whiskey was left in his bottle. Seeing about fifth of the liquor was remained. Which was more than enough to share with his friend.

"Of course Hector, it'd be criminal not to. Besides I owe you for drinking the last of the beer last night." Dan passed the bottle to his new drinking buddy, who promptly took a swig of whiskey. Hector stood to the side of Dan and observed the site of Japan in the distance. He had been Dan's closest friend over the past year and helped get a job on the _George._ On the ship the two had been almost inseparable always seating together at meals and laughing up a storm. He was also the only one Dan confided his secrets to, which made it all the more important to the pair that they dock as soon as possibly

"This is some good whiskey man, beats the hell out of that sake piss they got here in Japan. Speaking of which are you still planning on staying here?"

"Yea I'm going to travel around Japan and find a nice quiet spot to settle down in. Hopefully if I keep quiet the feds back home won't know I'm here. How about you still going work on the _George?_ "

"Nope my transfer finally went through, you're looking at the new cook of the _Elmira._ It may not be the best ship, but it's still a hell of a lot better than this scrap heap. I just need wait in Tokyo a few weeks then I'm off to Hong Kong and beyond." Hector declared triumphantly

Dan smiled at his friend's jubilation he knew that Hector had worked hard for that job. For Hector there were only two passions in his life, the open sea and cooking. While not the most glamorous job in the world Hector loved being cook on a ship. It gave the young Latino a sense of adventure mixed with the nostalgic scents from his childhood in his cooking. His skills were good enough to land him a job on the top of the line cruise ships before he was twenty. But Hector disliked the tourist environment of cruise ships and signed up with the nearest cargo ship he could. Which was the good old _George,_ though he never had the ingredients he wanted or the best equipment. Hector loved the job despite the ship's limitation's, at least here he got more real sense of modern day sailing across the seas that he craved for.

"Nice, no one deserves that job more than you buddy. I'm certainly going to miss your cooking, though less spices in my diet is probably for the best. By the way I know you've been in Japan before. Do you know any quiet spots I can go to?"

"Well I don't know many place here, but there's this one city that just might be what you're looking for. It's called Kamakura a small city with little crime, you can probably get there by train."

Kamakura, Dan never heard of the place. Then again he'd never been in Japan before, so familiarity wasn't on his side. But that's exactly what he need right now, a fresh start. Somewhere no one knew him or the things that he's done. More importantly no one will care if he drank himself to an early grave. At least for convenience sake he learned enough Japanese over the past few months were can find his way around without looking too much like an idiot.

"Attention crew we will be docking in exactly ten minutes all non-essential personal be prepared to disembark immediately." The PA system announced to the ship.

"Shit I lost track of time, well better go pack are thing before we dock." Hector commented which Dan replied with a simple nod in agreement. He rushed back to his room passing other crew members along the way. In less than a few minutes he was back in his quarters getting his stuff together. His room was not far from the deck so he could take his time with packing his things. Luckily he didn't have whole lot of stuff his possessions included three change of clothes, a cellphone, a laptop, a 44. Revolver, 50 bullets for said revolver, a wallet, and some pictures of his family that dared not to look at. Dan packed them all in his backpack. Then he closed the door, locking it as he did. Carefully he removed the locker from its place revealing a hole in the wall. Dan reached in and pulled a heavy duffle bag, placing it on his cot. He open the bag revealing the reason behind his secrecy, stacks of dollar bills exposed. He did a rapid check to see if anyone had taken any. Dan sighed in relieve to see all three million dollars present and accounted for, enough for that fresh he craved for.

"Attention crew we have reach the dock. All non-essential personal are to disembark immediately for customs check." Dan grab two bundles of bills and stuffed them in his coat pocket. Zipping up his bag opened the door. He rushed back up to the deck were he saw everyone ready to get back onto dry land. He spotted the captain of the ship and walked over to him. Getting his attention Dan pulled the money from his pocket, covertly handing it to the old man.

"One hundred thousand for the trip and an additional twenty-five thousand to avoid customs. Of course I expect that you'll keep your word on not saying anything about me." Dan stated in a matter of fact fashion.

"Don't worry kid you can trust me to keep quiet, you're not the first criminal I smuggled out of the country." The captain replied showing his missing teeth.

"You'd better because if I find out that you talked to anyone, I rip out you own tough out and fed it to you." Dan threatened under his breath, displaying how deadly serious he was. Which the old man nervously nodded in reply. Among the gathered crew he saw Hector at the front of the group. Dan deftly passed the crowd to his friend in order to say good bye.

"So this is it Hector, I'm heading out. Hopefully I'll see you again before you leave." Dan stated with reservations"

"Of course Dan, but listen whatever happens remember to control yourself and keep your head down. I really care for you and I don't to see the feds track you down like an animal. Anyway good luck with your new life and remember to keep in touch. Who knows maybe you'll find a nice girl to settle down with." Hector replied showing the same care since the day they met. The two men hugged each other in farewell and Dan proceeded down the walkway onto the dock. He then made his into the nearest alleyway and walked a brisk pace towards the city.

"So this is Japan, I was expecting something a little different. First I need to convert this cash into Yuen, then find directions to the train station. If Hector is right then Kamakura is the place I need to go." Dan thought to himself as he enter an unfamiliar territory in the hope that he can find a semblance of peace in his life.

* * *

A/N: Hello readers and thank you for taking the time to read my story. As heads up this story will revolve around the story of the anime instead of the manga. Also I won't be writing author's notes in every chapter, but it should be every other chapter. I use to write fanfiction in the past but for personal reason I had to stop. But now I want get back into it and what better way that a story about Elfen lied. It's one my favorite anime and I encourage you to watch it or read the manga before reading my story. Don't forget to leave a review to tell what you thought and what I can do to improve the quality of the story. So enjoy the fanfic and have a wonderful day.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

 _Dan absorbed every detail the gruesome sight that lay before him, blood was splatter all over his family's living room. Furniture had been uprooted and thrown throughout the room, some of which had been torn to shreds. Broken bits of glass sprinkled among the carnage of his shattered life. Before him both of his parents laid dead on the floor, disemboweled and half devoured. Like a gazelle after it had been hunted down by a vicious lioness. All Dan could see was their frozen faces contorted in expressions of shock and horror. Dan let out a derange scream of anguish once he fully processed the savage act that surrounded him. However the young man soon realized that he was not alone. The sounds of monstrous footsteps gradual became more prominent coming from the upstairs. A large demonic shadow then appeared on the wall of the stairwell as the footsteps grew unbearably close. Dan stood frozen in shock by this fast approaching threat, unable to muster the willpower to flee or call for help. Finally the beast appeared from the shadows to reveal a giant wolf steadily making its way down toward the young man. The canine was larger than any wolf had ever seen. Its appearance was something one could only find in ancient myths and legends. With a fur coat as black coal and huge yellow eyes that looked like two small ember from hell. Its teeth were stained with the blood and guts of Dan's now departed parents, even from across the room Dan could smell the creatures rancid breathe. Something that one could only describe as a mixture of rotting flesh and the metallic stench of blood. The wolf locked its eyes with Dan's watching his every minor twitch with inhuman focus. A sickening growl began to resonate from the beast as it inched closer to the petrified young man. Before he realized it the creature launched itself across the room pinned Dan to the floor. Droplets of blood fell from the gruesome fangs of the canine as it prepared to devour its terrified prey. He tried to scream but was immediately cut off when the wolf sunk its teeth into the young man's throat._

"No!" Dan shouted at the top of his lungs, desperately battering away at a beast that was nowhere to be seen. The young man hyperventilated as he regained some sense of composure. Dan was sitting in a train on his way to the city of Kamakura. He relaxed enough to pull a bottle of vodka from his coat and started rapidly consume the liquor. The young man drank about half of the bottle's contents before he finally settled down from his nightmare.

"Jesus Christ almighty! That one of the worst ones yet, still it's just a dream." Dan spoke to himself in a reassuring manner as he recalled the events of last night. Last night was quite busy to say the least. After he got of the Cargo ship Dan went to the nearest place where he could convert his dollars into Yuen. The clerk had given him some grief over the massive pile of money that the young man cared at his side. Though that didn't stop him from converting the cash. Once that was done Dan rushed to the near train station for a ticket for Kamakura, thankfully there was a late night shuttle to the town. Unfortunately it took over an hour to arrive, which left Dan enough time to pick up a dozen bottles of liquor from the nearest store.

From the rising sun in the distant horizon he could tell that it was early in the morning. Which explain why He was the only passenger on the train. Dan enjoyed the solitude, it allowed himself to think carefully about what to do once he arrived in Kamakura. His first goal was the find a place in the city where he could sleep temporally, then find a permanent residence. It would have to be something that wouldn't draw too much attention to himself. Then find the closest liquor store and drink himself into a stupor. Even though the young man had enough alcohol the kill a person. Dan would freely admit that he was an alcoholic though couldn't give less of a shit about quitting. On a daily basis he drank enough alcohol to kill a normal person, then again Dan was not normal. He hated the constant preaching by onlooker to quit drinking, even Hector commented once or twice about it. Dan would simple shrug off the criticism and continue on with his vice. He could make his own choices and if he wanted nothing more than to drink himself to death, then that was his choice to make.

Out of the corner of his eye Dan notice the city of Kamakura in the distance, first impressions were average at best. Nothing about it seemed to stick out to the young, thought the reflection of the sunny on the ocean water was very appealing. It reminded him of the times that he stayed at the beach back home when he was a kid. Thoughts about his childhood came flooding into his mind, the cool breeze of the ocean and the heat of an early July day. Sounds of fireworks crackling on the fourth of July while eating fried dough. Dan crack a tiny smirk at some of his more happy memories, but was quickly brought back into reality with the halting of the train.

He quickly gathered his things and proceeded to exit the train. The station was extremely modest with just a small both for information and a single bench to rest at. The small pink petals from the surrounding cherry blossoms gently floating in the breeze peaked the young man's the most. It gave the area an almost surreal innocence. However now wasn't the time for ogling Mother Nature, Dan needed to find a place to sleep. So he made his into town to find a hotel, or the very least a dry shack.

Dan spent about an hour of walking aimlessly from block to block, during which he bought a quick breakfast and a pair of binoculars. Just so he had a way to check for peeping toms from the local authorities. At last the young man found a hotel, it was a cheap looking joint with barley any defining features that could pull in potential customers. That didn't matter to Dan who just needed someplace to stay until he found a permanent residence. Dan paid the clerk in cash for a three day stay with no questions asked. Once given the key the young man proceeded up the stairs to the second floor. The room was at the far end of the dimly lit hall, the young man groggily walk down the corridor with each step getting a little heavier from exhaustion. Finally he reached his destination opening the door and finding that his accommodations were not to his liking. His room was on the ugly side, with beige walls and green carpeted floor. The only furniture was a single double bed, dresser, and nightstand. At the opposite end of the room was a tiny bathroom that could barley contain the shower and toilet in it with the sink located in the room itself.

"It'll due until I find an apartment. Then again it could be worse, I could be sleeping on the street or in a box. But whoever decorated this room must've been color blind, reminds me of that god awful place I stayed in New Jersey" Dan said to himself while placing his bags by the bed, then walked over to the window to close the blinds. He took a good long look at the view of the harbor, which was quite a splendid scene. In the distance he could see a small island located at the edge of the harbor. A faint glimmer of reflected light emanated from the landmass, which could only come from glass windows. Which meant a building of some sort was situated on the island, which begged the question why would anyone build anything on such a desolate rock. He didn't know and frankly he couldn't give two shits about it. Closing the blinds he then undressed himself down to his underwear and jumped into bed. Temporally disregarding all of his worries as he drifted off into slumber, hopefully he won't have too many nightmares.

* * *

Lucy had lost track of the days she spent chained up like an animal in this dungeon. Her restraints had kept her from moving even the slightest bit and her helmet obscured the young woman vision which prevented her from observing her cage. In fact the only one of her senses not restricted in some way was her hearing. Every day she heard the footsteps of people come in and out of the chamber. She heard the guards make idle chit chat over petty subjects of interests and the scientist discusses her like a lab specimen. But the things that she truly wished to hear were things that she never got the chance to say and be reminded of all of her faults. In her dreams she was visited by all those she had killed during her short life. Each of them a twisted representation of themselves. Some mocked her appearance others screamed unintelligible slurs at her, but all called the same thing. A monster, a murderer, and a butcher. All of which were true, Lucy had spent more than half her life slaughtering humans in the hundreds. However at the end of her dreams she heard the same sweet music from all those years age. The melancholic tune Kouta's music box, it filled her with feeling joy and despair. Once she awake the only thing she heard was the quiet sobbing that she uttered.

The sounds of machinery shocked Lucy from her withdrawn state, the young woman sensed her restraints being lifted and her vectors emerged from her body. Could it be true, was this her time escape this wretched facility. One the guards rushed towards her to prevent her from escaping. The moment that idiot got in range Lucy sliced off his arm, waiting a few seconds to let the fool fully realize the extent of his error before copping off the whelp's miserable head. Her vector retrieved the key to her restraints from the corpse. Disbelieve began to build in Lucy, the thought of being released from her prison was surreal.

The other guard made a desperate attempt to stop her, firing his revolver at the young woman. A futile endeavor as she easily block the bullets with one vector, while using another to crush the man's head. Slowly Lucy unlocked her restraints one at a time, savoring the sweet sound of her locks being opened. The last restraint was unlocked and the young woman used her vectors to gently float to the floor. When her bare feet made contact with cold metal floor it sent a sharp chill up Lucy's spine. She stumbled under her own weight, the years spent bound had weakened her legs significantly. Once again Lucy's used two of her vectors to prop herself up, just until the strength in her legs returned. The sound of the massive door opening filled the chamber and the artificial light of the facility poured in. Even with the helmet obscuring her vision, she could clearly see the bright opening. Steadily Lucy walk forward to the light of the hallway, feeling the warm blood of her victims under her feet. The young woman began to hum that lovely song she cherished so much, it added to the quiet jubilation she felt.

Lucy hummed that tune as she cut down the every last guard that stood between her and freedom. She deflected their bullets with ease and savored their blood curtailing screams as her vector tore them to shreds. All the pent up hatred, fear, sorrow Lucy had experienced in this hellhole was unleased on these worthless pests. The same people who had humiliated her, who had striped of every right she laid claim to, and who treated like an animal to be experimented on. Lucy exacted her vengeance on them tenfold, with each kill only adding the unholy wraith that fueled her determination. Finally she reached one of the last barriers that prevented her escape, using her vector to pull the switch that opened the huge metal gate.

That's when she saw the man who had dragged to this facility, chief Kurama. He was flanked on both sides by a squad of heavily armed guards. Lucy had an especially intense hatred for this man, his actions had led to her friend Aiko death and the bastard simply tried to brush it off. Now the young woman could start fulfilling the promise that made the day Kurama brought to this facility. Where she would strip him of everything he cared about so that he could feel the pain of losing those closest to you. Suddenly a young woman appeared the left corridor and fell face fist onto the floor.

"Chief Kurama I'm sorry! I missed up again!" the young lady said in a begging manner. The sight of his sectary next to Lucy elicited a strong reaction from the chief. To the point were two guards had to hold him back.

"Kisaragi run, get away!" Kurama yelled at his secretary. Try to warn her of the danger that she was in. So it appeared that he cared for this girl, which peaked Lucy interest. She placed one vector on the girl's should which left a bloody hand print on her jacket.

"No Lucy don't do it!" Kurama yelled desperately in the slim hope of saving his employee, but it amounted to nothing. Kisaragi looked at the diclonius girl with a confused look and in one swift motion Lucy ripped off the woman's head.

"Open Fire!" Kurama ordered. His men unleased a withering hail of bullet on the diclonius. But it was all for not as Lucy simply blocked the bullet with the now deceased woman's corpse, just to spite Kurama. After five minutes of deafening gunfire the guards ceased their assault.

"Why are you stopping? Shoot her!" Kurama demanded from the guard next to him.

"Were out of ammo." The guard replied. Lucy resumed her advance towards Kurama, prompting one of the guards to trying bashing the diclonius with but of his gun. Lucy simply ripped out the man's heart throwing it at one of his fellow guards. She then decapitated four more guards before the survivors fled for their lives. As Lucy passed by Kurama she place one of her vectors on his back, leaving a bloody hand print on the chief's suit. The exit was now in sight, just a metal door separated her from the outside world. Her celebration was cut short as the gate behind her suddenly closed, leaving the young woman trapped. Rage overwhelmed her thoughts as she rammed the exit with her vectors, she won't be caged up again. Though all effort only managed to dent the door, but still it remained closed. Her heart sank at the thought of losing her chance at freedom when coming so close.

But then her fortunes turned again in her favor, as the door slowly opened. Revealing a rocky cliff overlooking the open sea, which reflected the moonlight of clear spring night. For the first time in three years Lucy felt the cool breeze of the outside against her pale skin. It was impossible for her to describe the concoction of emotions the flooded her heart. Never in her life had Lucy been so grateful to feel the rough texture of the ground on the soles of her feet. By now her legs had gained enough strength to support herself without assistance from her vectors. Her pace picked up as she grew closer to the edge of the cliff, though Lucy's started to feel that she was being watched.

Before she knew what happened a loud bang pierced the serenity of the moment. Followed by a horrible piercing pain in the side of her head. A powerful bullet had ricocheted of her helmet, causing Lucy to lose consciousness and fall into the dark water of the sea.

* * *

Dan was awoken from his sleep by the sound of gunfire, from the sound he could determine that it had been a powerful sniper rifle. The young man quickly rolled out of bed and grabbed his revolver. Checking around his room to find were the bullet entered from. After a few seconds Dan cautiously moved from his position and retrieved the binoculars from his backpack. He then shifted moved towards the window, rapidly checking any conceivable area were the sound may have originated. When his vision passed by the water he noticed something odd. It took Dan a few minutes to realize that a young woman was floating in the middle of the harbor face up. From the looks of it she was unconscious and bleeding from her head. Dan carefully thought about what to do. On one had he was obligated to help this poor woman before she drowned, but on the other hand he didn't want to entangle himself in any sort of trouble? At the risk of attracting attention from the authorities and in turn alerting the feds to his presence in Japan.

Against his better judgement Dan decided to help her, so he slipped on his pants and jumped out the window. Safely landing in the street he then ran towards the beach with all hast. When he reached the edge of the water, Dan jumped into the harbor. He swam as fast as possible while keeping his sights on the unconscious woman, who slowly began to sink under the waves. After an undetermined amount of time Dan finally reached the girl, checking to see if she was breathing. Thankfully the woman was indeed breathing and it looked like she was beginning to wake up. Though was still unable to speak, he grabbed her with one arm. While making sure that her head remained above to water.

Dan had little time to think as he start swimming back towards the shoreline. It was going to be quite difficult to swim while dragging the young. He felt the warm rays of the rising sun on his back.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _Lucy found herself in the familiar void of her sub-conscious, it was here were the root of her nightmares sported from. The diclonius was lying on the ground, her body was bare as the day she was born. A sharp pain pulsed in the right side of her skull as blood trickled down her face. The last thing Lucy could remember was the crack of gunfire before losing conciseness. Is it possible that she was dead and now entered the dark void of oblivion? Lifting herself from the ground the diclonius struggled to make sense of what was happing. Out in the dark void she heard a faint sound that filled her with dread. It was the same noise that appeared at the climax of her nightmares. The sound was the sweet tune of the Lilium, which normally brought her comfort. But now it terrified the young woman, because she knew what it brought. From the darkness two figures appeared, one was Lucy's younger self who still was dressed in the drab uniform of the orphanage. The second was a young boy with tan skin, black hair, and deep blue eyes. He was dressed in a light green shirt and blue short, but the music box in his hands is what Lucy's attention was focused on._

" _Kouta." The young woman whispered under her breathe. Kouta had been one of the few people that had treated Lucy with compassion. Providing a small glimmer of joy in mostly bleak existence. A glimmer that she foolishly destroyed in an act of spiteful jealously, which was about to replay in front of her. Two more figures emerged from the shadows, one was a fully grown man that looked like Kouta. The other was a little girl who couldn't be older than six with violet eyes and dark brunette hair. The void quickly transformed into a train with Lucy standing between her younger self and Kouta's family._

" _No, not again. Please anything but this." The diclonius whimpered as the memory began to play out. The young Lucy starred at Kouta with murderous intent marching forward towards her prey._

" _Stop, Don't do it!" The older rushed to halt her younger self but simple phased through her. Every night in her dreams this same memory played over and over again. No matter what Lucy did, she couldn't stop it from happening._

" _Hurry up Kouta we have to get out of here or she'll kill us" Little Kanae desperately tried to warn her brother of the impending horror. Only to be met with a slap across the face._

" _How dare you say that Kanae! Apologize to my friend right now or I'll never forgive." Kouta yelled at his sibling, causing the poor girl to start crying._

" _No Kouta please believe me." Kanae whimpered out before being sliced in half. Her empty eyes still leaking tears as a pool of blood formed around the corpse. Lucy broke down into tears when she saw Kouta's expression, one of utter shock and terror. Kouta let out a pitiful scream that shattered the young woman's heart. His father came over to see the commotion only to be decapitated in front of his son. Blood sprayed from the newly created stump as the body dropped to the floor. Finally a terrible realization swept over Kouta, turning to the horned girl he though was his friend._

" _Did you do this? How could I thought we were friends?" Kouta screamed at the girl, which failed to arise a facial response._

" _What are you saying? We were friends, that's why you're still alive. Now time to kill that stupid." The young girl said before turning her back at Kouta and walking away._

" _What, Yuka?" The boy realized who the girl's next target. Adrenaline rush through Kouta's veins as he rush forward, tackling the girl to the ground. He starred into the red eyes of his family's killer, repeated the same words over and over again._

" _No more please stop! Stop already! Just stop" The boy chanted to the horned girl. His tears dropping on to the young Lucy's face. Slowly her expression changed from surprise to utter shame. The memory faded away into the endless void, leaving the sound of Lucy's sobs alone._

" _I sorry, I'm so sorry Kouta." The young woman said in between sobs. Ever since that night Lucy had been plagued be constant nightmares. All of which brought her back to this awful memory in order to remind Lucy of the ugly truth. That everything people said about her was true. She was a coldblooded killer, a freak, and a monster. Who's only purpose was cause nothing but misery and death. From the shadows all of her victims came forward. Each one a bloody and mangled spirit that sought vengeance on the diclonius._

" _Murderer! Mutant! Freak! Monster!" They all shouted in unison, surrounding the young woman. Lucy crippled into a ball, still weeping heavily. The phantoms grew closer to her and all she did was repeat the same line._

" _I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!" Lucy desperately screamed at the dead, hoping they would leave her alone. The sharp pain in her heard grew more potent with each second until it became unbearable. Then silence, all the shouting disappeared leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Though Lucy dared not open her eyes in fear a second assault._

" _Nyu." A soft voice echoed across the void and lifted the intense pain Lucy had. She opened her eyes to find a most peculiar sight. An exact copy of the diclonius sat in front of her with an inquisitive look._

" _Nyu." The copy repeated, tiling her head slightly to the right. Lucy now knew she had gone insane, because there was a clone of her sitting across from her. She extended her arm to touch the copy, to confirm her insanity. But to her surprise this girl was not imaginary, instead she was flesh and blood._

" _Who are you?" Lucy asked her doppelgänger_

" _Nyu." Her other replied, point directly at Lucy. The diclonius was confused as to what was going on. Was this girl her or just another part of Lucy's mind like the other voice? But those question would have to wait as she sensed herself waking from her coma._

"Don't worry miss will be at the beach soon, just hold on." An unfamiliar voice said. Lucy could once again feel the cold water surround her body. But also felt a strong arm keeping her pinned to another body. She cracked her eyes to see the face of a young man with pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. The man had a short beard that clung closely with his strong chin. His sight was firmly planted on the distant shore, maintaining a steady swimming pace. Only temporally braking it to check on Lucy.

That's when their eyes locked together in split of a second, though which felt like years for both of them. Lucy's blood red eyes staring into his ice blue gaze, each glance at a window to the others soul. Both could see faint glimpses of pain, misery, sadness, and loneliness. Finally the duel of gazes ended when Lucy slipped back into an unconscious and the stranger returned his sights back towards the shore.

* * *

Kouta exited the train carrying his suitcase to the side. The young man looked around to if his cousin Yuka had arrived. Though he doubted if he'd be able to recognize Yuka, it had been years since they last saw each other. That was before Kanae and his dad had passed away, now he could barely recall anything from that summer.

"Kouta over here." The young man turned towards the sidewalk, seeing a young woman with short brunette hair and a brown dress. Kouta didn't recognize her, but he suspected that was Yuka. She rushed over sitting her purse down and warped her arms around the young man.

"It's so good to see again." She joyfully proclaimed, while Kouta stood their dumbfounded. The young woman released the surprised boy from her grasp. Realizing that he didn't recognize her, the excited smile she had was replaced with a frown of disappointment.

"Don't you recognize me Kouta? I'm your cousin Yuka." She asked in a concerned manner

"Sorry it's been so long that could barely recognize you." Kouta reassuringly replied to Yuka, hoping to brush off the awkward silence. His words hurt a little, but Yuka shrugged it off. All that mattered now was that Kouta was here now with her. She then thought of a place that might remind Kouta of his time with her. Without saying a word Yuka grabbed her cousin by the arm and proceeded to lead him to the beach.

"Hey wait, where are you taking me?" Kouta asked exasperatedly, which was only answered with a mischievous grin from Yuka. After a few minutes they had arrived at a long grand staircase that extended all the way the beach. The two of them stood at the top, absorbing the mesmerizing view of the city. Kouta recalled how he always loved looking out from this spot, during his stay in Kamakura. It brought him a sense of peace, which he used to ground himself back into the present.

"I knew you would like it." Yuka announced triumphantly.

"Yea reminds me of when we were kids. Do you remember when we sit here at sunset and just talk?"

"Of course I do. You showed me some of your sketches you did of the mountains right here. Anyway we have some time to kill. Do you want go to the beach?" Yuka asked the young man.

"Sure I'd love that." Kouta answered. Both of them made their way to the beach. Neither one saying a word during the walk, just content with enjoying the silence. They soon reached the beach, Kouta was a bit disappointed by the current state of the shore. Trash was littered all across the once pristine white sand and poorly constructed shacks dotted the beach. It certainly didn't live up to his expectation he had from his memories.

"I know it isn't much, the town has let things slid since we were kids." Yuka said to reassure her cousin.

"Do you remember when we use to look for sea shells?" Kouta asked, a melancholic expression on his face.

"Sure I do. We would sit and talk, while little Kanae looked for shells." Yuka replied, reminded of her young cousin Kanae. This was right before her and Kouta's dad passed away. Yuka and parents went to their funereal, she'd hoped to see Kouta there. But from what she'd heard, Kouta was still in the hospital. When she asked her parents why, they said he was still in shock and refused to talk. The night after Yuka cried herself to sleep, for her uncle, Kanae, and Kouta. Out of the corner of her eye, Yuka noticed something very strange. She nudged her cousin in order to get his attention.

"What's wrong?" Kouta asked, which Yuka simple pointed at the focus of her gaze. A tall man blonde man emerged from the water carrying a naked woman. She had long pink hair with strange white horns sticking out of her head. The stranger shuffled towards them, panting heavily from exhaustion.

"Please can you help me? I need to check if she's still breathing." The man asked the pair, Kouta immediately jumped into action. Assisting the man with gently lowering the woman to ground. Luckily she was still breathing, but was still unconscious. That's when Yuka noticed a streak of blood along the girl's face.

"What happened, why is she hurt?" Yuka asked the stranger.

"I don't know I saw her floating in the water last night. So I swam out to help her." He replied, not talking his eyes off the girl's face. A small twitch of the movement came from the unconscious woman, followed by her slowly opening her eyes.

"Miss can you hear me?" Asked the stranger

"Nyu." She said in reply, jolting up to a sitting position. Starring at the young man with a curious look

"I guess that a yes. Can you tell me your name and what happened last night?" Kouta inquired, but failed to get an answer. She simple starred at him with childlike naiveté, her body started shivering from the onset of a cool breeze.

"Sir if it's not too much trouble can she borrow your shirt. Better that she covered up before anyone else saw her." The stranger asked Kouta.

"Oh sure, I'm Kouta by the way and that's my cousin Yuka. What's your name?" Kouta said the stranger while taking over his white over shirt.

"I'm Dan, nice to meet you both." Dan said in turn as he help the young lady get dressed. The two gentleman assisted her in standing up.

"Do you two know where we can bring her I'm new in town so I don't have any place to take her." Dan inquire to the pair.

"We could take her to Kouta's place, just until we know what to do with her. But maybe Dan find a shirt before we go" Yuka chimed in which raised a confused expression from Kouta and embarrassed one from Dan.

"Wait my place? Her cousin asked, completely lost about what she was referring to.

"It's the place my mom letting stay at for college. Don't worry your goanna love it." She remarked, shrugging off the question.

After Dan had retrieved a shirt from his hotel room, the group made their way across town. The young woman that Dan saved kept very close to the blonde. Tightly gripping his right arm, in way a child would grip their parent's hand. While Yuka lead the way with Kouta in toe, passing several statues and a cemetery along the way. By all right Dan should left the woman with the two cousins and gone on his merry way. But something about this girl intrigued him and demanded to know more about her. They walked for about an hour before they arrived at large Japanese styled house with a small wall surrounding the perimeter. Cherry blossom ran parallel with the wall as the lovely pink pedals gracefully floated along the breeze. Which drew child-like wonder from the pink-haired woman, which brought a smile to Dan's face. The group arrived at the outer gate, it took a minute for Yuka to get it unlocked. With a click the door opened revealing a modest path and a pleasant garden.

"So Yuka how much does your mom want for rent each month? I'm guessing she's not letting me stay here for free." Kouta asked.

"There's no rent, but you do need to keep the house clean. Also she wants the gardened maintained as well, meaning no weeds or dead flowers." Yuka responded.

"Okay how many rooms dose this place have?"

"Last I checked there are ten rooms."

"Ten! So basically I'm just a free caretaker for this place." Kouta said distressingly.

"Hey it could be a lot worse, you could be sleeping on the street. Besides anyone would kill to have a house like this. By the way is it alright if I use the restroom?" Dan said, politely interrupting their discussion

"Sure, let me just unlock the door" Yuka answered. She quickly unlocked the door and directed Dan to the restroom. Which he wasted no time in using, relieving himself of the liquids he drank yesterday. Dan promptly washed his hands and left to rejoin the group. The smell of urine flooded Dan's senses, though was unclear where it originated. But that mystery was swiftly solved when he saw the puddle of urine around the pink-haired woman. Apparently she couldn't properly convey that she needed to use the restroom. Yuka took in her to wash up, while leaving the boys to clean the mess. While not difficult to do, the smell irritated Dan to no end. For twenty minutes he and Kouta washed the floor in silence, both just wanting to finish the task as fast as possible. Once finished the two woman emerged from the bathroom, the mystery woman now dressed in a white undershirt and blue boxers.

"Sorry to leave you guys with mess." Yuka said to the pair.

"Its fine, did you give Nyu my clothes?" Kouta inquired.

"Yeah, just for today. I'll get her some clothes tomorrow." Yuka replied

"Excuse me but why did you call her Nyu." Dan asked

"Well since all she says is Nyu, we thought that be best to call her. By the way I've got rice ball if your hunger and I got plenty to share." Yuka said. With the rumble from the two men's stomachs giving a definitive answer. The group filed into the living room and proceeded to eat their makeshift lunch. Dan hadn't eaten since yesterday, so the promise of food was music to his ears. Taking measured bites of his food as to properly enjoy his meal while make sure not to scarf it down too fast. Nyu on the other hand simply shoveled as much rice into her mouth as she could. Leaving a good amount litter on both the table and her face. Kouta assisted the young woman with cleaning the excess rice. Once everyone finished their meal, Dan prepared to take his leave. He said his farewells, but before he could leave Yuka stopped him.

"Dan before you leave could you give us your phone number. In case we need help with Nyu." Yuka requsted.

The young man nodded and wrote his cell phone number down on a scrape piece of paper. Finally Dan left the house and began to make his way back to the hotel. He reflected on the past few hours, now that he had a chance to fully reflect on his actions. Dan hoped that saving Nyu didn't lead to any future trouble. Though it did give the young man a modest sense of pride to do something noble. So he decided that getting drunk would be a proper reward for such a selfless act.

* * *

A/N: So I had some really trouble writing this chapter. I kept starting over because I didn't how it read. Anywhy sorry for the wait and enjoy the chapter. Don't forget to leave a review to tell me what yoy though and how I can improve the quality of the story.


End file.
